Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Was yesterday. Oh well, here I go. Yesterday my aunt and I had some fun at the Wal-Mart (I know it's not the best choice, but no body's perfect, so there) and the tamale factory and then a thrift shop by Memaw's house = danger danger Will Robinson! I'll be posting about that later seeing as how I'm still striving in the great catch-up (grate catsup?). After struggling to stay awake all morning long and feeling like doing nothing but this:

(what is wrong with me?!), I've decided to post a bit, clean a bit, run a bit, eat a bit and then maybe lounge some more; it always helps to have a plan!

Last Monday my grandmother and I began a project to grow things not out of the ground but out of a straw bale instead! Have you heard of this type of gardening? The benefits are really mostly the novelty of it all, but it's also less bending down as well as no weeds since it's not the ground dirt that's full of pesty little volunteer plants. Also, if you have no ground in which to plant, this is an option. We traveled over to Sam's Feed and Pet Supply on West San Carlos in our fair burg to procure for no more than about $10 our very own straw bale which is then very kindly put into your vehicle at no extra charge. The strapping young man who completed said task for us was wearing a shirt that read: Real men wear kilts. He also used these Freddy Kruger-esque hooks that have leather strap to go around his wrists to get the bale where he wanted it (the back of my car)...the things you learn!

Using my super girly strength I wrangled the bale, which is not too heavy, actually, from the car to the back yard using only this vintage hand truck we have. It was pretty fun, actually, and Memaw summed it all up by saying "farmette".

You begin with a straw bale which is apparently different from a hay bale due primarily to something having to do with the stalks and parts that are left on the strands, etc....just start with a straw bale dudes. You put it wherever you'd like it and drench it for about five minutes a day for a week. After the drenching you are ready for the planting. You place seedlings (any old type that you'd like, yo) directly into the straw or create a layer of dirt (fresh from a bag to avoid weeds if you're picky like that) in which to plant your seeds. There's a tutorial as well, courtesy of youtube-o:

So we've been drenching the heck out of this thing (read: my grandmother = we) and will probably put in some pumpkins and other odds and ends. We're aware that it's pretty late in the planting season so: fie, fie to all you naysayers, we live in a climate temperate enough to grow practically anything whenever! I have also included some shots of my grandmother's garden handiwork, similar to earlier shots I'm sure, but pretty nonetheless:

Also, I received my teaching schedule for the upcoming year, which is exciting, it looks to be good and I'm slowly coming to terms with the reality that my life isn't all summer time lounging and getting paid to do nothing (but wouldn't it be nice if it was???).

We grilled quite a bit last week so bear with the multitude of grilling shots to come, they are special to me! We've so far done burgers (inaugural) and chicken soaked in a couple of marinades...yum-yum! The propane tank sure gave us a heck of a time the first night that we used it. It took three men, a towel, a large wrench and myself just staring for the thing (blast if I know what to call it) to twist open and shut, but after that it's worked like a charm.

Don't mind the tackiness of the cardboard rug beneath our little grill, it's just how it happened and we haven't gotten around to removing it!

Our first feast and our little friend, just for kicks.

Our second feast and the marinades, that Annie's dressing being my all time favorite.

That broccoli has some Greek seasoning added in and those dark things are plain old flax seeds added in for pizazz. Here are some action shots (!):

Pretty night sky shot from the backyard.

Aforementioned finicky contraption and the end product.

He helped.

Anyway, our (M's) grilling has been great fun and we look forward to much more! Last week also involved an adventure at Petroglyph, homemade chicken masala, some pretty nails and whatnot, to be posted about soon I'm sure. I'm now off to said cleaning, running, snacking, etc.. Have a great rest of your day!!